Gorman is No. 1 in the Sun’s preseason rankings; the other teams may be a surprise.

By Ray Brewer

Monday, Aug. 19, 2013 | 2 a.m.

The Bishop Gorman High football team hasn’t lost to a Las Vegas-area opponent since 2008 in winning four straight state championships.

It has gone from being a local power to earning respect on a national stage.

When the Gaels open the season Friday by hostingMountain Pointe of Arizona in the Sollenberger Classic, they will take the field ranked in the top-25 of multiple national polls. It’s been that way for most of the past four seasons since Tony Sanchez became the Gaels’ coach.

They’ve also been the No. 1 team in the Sun’s top-10 rankings every week for the past four seasons. Today, we release our preseason top-10. The No. 1 team isn’t a surprise.

Perennial power Gorman will again be the team to beat and the favorite to win the state championship. Despite the Gaels having to replace their quarterback, running back and top two receivers from last season, the depth chart is again flooded with Division I prospects.

Junior tight end Alize Jones is one of 20 five-star recruits nationally for the class of 2015, quarterback Randall Cunningham (the son of the NFL and UNLV star) has double-digit scholarship offers from major programs and is starting to resemble his father, and junior linebacker Nela Otukolo might wind up being the team’s top defender.

Defensive backs Dylan Weldon and Jabari Butler, and Arizona State commit Armand Perry at safety will lead the secondary, Terrance Chambers brings speed — and lots of it — to the offense at wide receiver, and running back Daniel Stewart went from being the Gaels'

Zack Singer is back for his fourth year on the defensive line and is the clear leader of the team, and the offensive line is massive, led by major Division I prospect Nick Gates (he's been offered by Alabama), Tryson Mook (6-foot-4, 310 pounds), Jackson Perry (6-foot-3, 290 pounds) and Ethan Palelei (6-foot-1, 290 pounds). Defensively, tackle Noah Tialavea, at 5-foot-11, 300 pounds, will be tough to push around up front.